As the dicamba drift situation unfolds in soybean growing areas of North America, with millions of acres affected, there are some serious questions that will need to be answered in the coming months. How extensive was the damage? What were the factors that led to dicamba herbicide ending up in places where it wasn’t supposed… Read More
Preliminary results from a three-year research project in North Dakota show row spacings in many soybean fields are too wide to reach their maximum yield potential. A team of agronomists and extension agents at North Dakota State University are surveying growers to generate baseline data on soybean management practices in the state. Their goal is to… Read More
If it’s done right, deep ripping can help address a compaction problem in the field, but if you’re not careful, it can also make it worse. As with any kind of tillage, you have the potential of breaking up soil aggregates with a deep ripper or subsoiler, but that’s not all, notes Aaron Daigh, soil… Read More
With above average yields anticipated in Western Canada and the northern U.S., there will probably be some grain going into what we might call nontraditional or alternative storage facilities. Ken Hellevang is a grain storage and drying expert at North Dakota State University. “Grain must be dry and cool (near the average outdoor temperature) when placed in alternative storage… Read More
So you’re looking to apply some late nitrogen to boost wheat protein. The recommended timing is immediately after anthesis, just a few days after applying fungicide to protect the head against fusarium head blight. Would it work to combine…? Don’t even think about it, says Dave Franzen, soil specialist at North Dakota State University. “To put… Read More
Too wet isn’t good, but neither is too dry for growers looking to get the most value for soybeans. According to researchers at North Dakota State University, on a 40 bushel-per-acre crop, harvesting soybeans at 9 percent moisture rather than 13 percent will cost the farmer around 1.8 bushels per acre. At $10 per bushel, that’s… Read More
Not all wheat varieties are created equally when it comes to the amount of phosphorus they remove from the soil. Some varieties are efficient, while others are phosphorus hogs, explains Jay Goos, soil scientist at North Dakota State University, in this instalment of the Wheat School. So why does this matter? “The reasons I’m concerned about… Read More
Weed scientists in Western Canada and the U.S. Northern Plains are keeping an eye out for signs of glyphosate resistance in one of the most widespread weeds in the region. Wild oats, which is commonly resistant to other herbicide modes-of-action, could be the next weed to adapt to glyphosate, according to a risk assessment model developed by Hugh Beckie of… Read More
There’s been plenty of buzz about the potential uses for unmanned aerial vehicles on farms over the last few years, but many producers are still waiting to see if there’s a business case for purchasing one. They want to see if UAVs can add enough value to justify spending not only the money, but also the time it takes to… Read More
North Dakota State University’s Research Foundation is warning Canadian farmers about illegal sales of a new hard red spring wheat variety developed at NDSU. FP Genetics Inc. is the only Canadian company allowed to sell the variety known as Elgin-ND. However, NDSU says “some U.S. seedsmen and others may be approaching farmers/entities in Canada to… Read More
Sunflowers may rival flax for the honour of “prettiest crop,” but this brightly flowered food and oilseed crop has another rather dubious distinction — disease magnet. From the very ominous sounding phoma black stem, to the insidious sclerotinia, Real Agriculture caught up with Sam Markell, extension plant pathologist with North Dakota State University to talk… Read More
With all the excitement about the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in agriculture, it’s important to understand the reliability of information collected by UAVs. Can we trust their accuracy to make farm management decisions? Beyond that, could UAV data tell us something before we see it on the ground? Researchers in North Dakota are evaluating… Read More
Wet weather during harvest has forced farmers across Western Canada and the Northern U.S. to take the crop off the field at moisture levels that are much higher than ideal for storage. While wheat is considered dry enough for long-term storage at around 13 percent moisture, in some cases, wheat has been harvested at moisture levels above… Read More
Adopting warm season crops, like corn, in cool season areas, like Western Canada, takes time, patience and adaptation. The first crucial step is access to shorter season varieties, which we’ve got, but from there the nutrient/pest/harvest management trial and error learning has to follow. Hear & download more Agronomy Geeks podcasts by clicking here Grain… Read More
How much nitrogen (N) does a corn crop really need? Are split applications the way to go? What’s the biggest risk of N loss in a Western Canadian crop setting? As King Corn marches north and west, these are the questions that need answers if you’re going to go from being a farmer who grows… Read More